Aurora Cannabis Inc. (the “Company” or “Aurora“) (TSXV: ACB) (OTCQB: ACBFF) (Frankfurt: 21P; WKN: A1C4WM) and Radient Technologies Inc. (“Radient”) (TSXV: RTI) are pleased to announce that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) to evaluate an exclusive partnership for the Canadian market with regard to the joint development and commercialization of superior and standardized cannabinoid extracts. As part of the MOU, Aurora will, subject to certain conditions precedent being satisfied, invest up to $2 million into Radient by means of a convertible debenture (the “Debenture”).
Radient currently operates from a 20,000 square foot, GMP compliant, Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) licensed facility in Edmonton, Alberta, extracting natural ingredients for a range of industries including food and beverage, nutrition, supplements, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Radient operates under strict quality controls and owns patented extraction technologies, originally developed by scientists at Environment Canada. These proprietary technologies have proven capable of producing high-quality standardized extracts with faster throughputs, improved yields, higher purities, and lower costs when compared to conventional extraction methods.
“Radient’s technology promises a significant advance in both quality and efficiency of cannabis extract production,” said Terry Booth, CEO. “This is especially important considering global market dynamics, which point to strong demand for cannabis derivative products. Importantly, Radient’s extraction technology has also been proven to deliver superior preservation of aromatic compounds known as terpenes, which are key to the cannabis consumer experience and the Aurora Standard.”
Denis Taschuk, President and CEO of Radient, stated, “We are very excited by this potential partnership with Aurora, given their leadership position in the medical cannabis space and the exceptional quality of their products. The combination of Aurora’s recently announced capacity expansion with our proprietary high-throughput extraction technology has the potential to play an important role in meeting the fast-growing demand for quality cannabinoid extracts.”
Aurora, one of the largest licensed producers of medical cannabis under Health Canada‘s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR), recently began construction on an unprecedented 800,000 square foot production facility in Leduc County, Alberta. This facility, known as “Aurora Sky”, is anticipated to be capable of producing in excess of 100,000 kg of high-quality, low-cost marijuana per year.
Under the terms of the MOU, Aurora will fund the collaboration through the Debenture. The Debenture will have a term of 2 years, bear interest at 10% per annum and will be convertible into units (each, a “Unit”) of Radient at a conversion price of $0.14 per Unit. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of Radient and one share warrant, exercisable within 24 months, for one common share of Radient at an exercise price of $0.33 per warrant. The issuance of the Debenture is subject to all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.